Thunder reportedly pick up final option year on coach Billy Donovan’s contract

At 18-10 to start the season, the Thunder went into Monday night’s action in third place in the tight Western Conference, pulled there by the best defense in the NBA and enough offense from Russell Westbrook and Paul Gorge to get by. That the team is doing this with a thin roster, and by putting some role players in strong positions to succeed, and by playing so cohesively has guaranteed coach Billy Donovan one more year as coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Donovan has done well to help the Thunder find a new, winning identity after Kevin Durant left a few years back.19 Dec @ 2AM

Paul George asked Billy Donovan not to run plays for him last year

It’s been a bit of an adjustment for Paul George since coming to Oklahoma City last season exchange for Victor Oladipo, and according to a recent feature at ESPN George asked his coach for one specific thing. This may seem strange, but George reportedly wanted coach Billy Donovan to stop running plays for him. Despite Donovan having watched hours of game film on George to see where he could get him the ball where he’s most successful, that kind of careful planning didn’t fit how George likes to attack the game.17 Dec @ 8PM